K-Drama School

by Grace Jung

Comedy Interviews After Shows TV Reviews

Season 1

K-Drama School - Ep 24: Stairway to Heaven and a Good Dad with Christoph Schmid

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses Stairway to Heaven (2003, SBS) and the show’s director Lee Jang-soo’s directorial imprint on the “heaven trilogy” shows he helms. Grace breaks down the meaning of “makjang” drama in the context of televisuality and political economy which affected Y2K socio-cultural habits such as spending and consumption in South Korea. Grace then has a chat with her dear friend and hilarious Berlin-based comedian Christoph Schmid (@topf52 on Instagram) about fatherhood to a toddler, how much they hate online comedy, Christoph’s pilot, why Grace turned down a Fox TV offer, addiction to disrespectful men, questions we wished we could’ve asked our angry yet mysterious fathers before they died very suddenly, and how to process grief. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more. Next week, we discuss Thank You (2007, MBC).

K-Drama School - Ep 23: Fated to Love You and "I am the Pudding" with Zack Chapaloni

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses Fated to Love You (2014, MBC), and the nostalgic intertexts and callbacks the show includes from Jang Hyuk and Jang Nara's careers as singers and actors for nearly two decades as the Jang couple reunites 12 years after their first small-screen appearance together on Successful Story of a Bright Girl (2002, SBS). Grace talks about how she was mistaken for a medical doctor by another comedian in her scene, as well as the doubts her parents had of her abilities which makes her an atypical figure when it comes to AAPI stereotypes; the "model minority" is very much a myth, and one that not even her own family upheld when it came to her. Grace then has a chat with comedian Zack Chapaloni (@zackchapaloni on Instagram) who co-hosts Hesby Street Pod. They talk about their upbringing by immigrant mothers, the gift of difference, roommates during a pandemic, and so much more. Zack then answers some flashcard questions based on scenarios from Fated to Love You and Grace nearly blacks out from laughing at his brilliant answers. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more. Next week, we discuss Stairway to Heaven (2003, SBS).

K-Drama School - Ep 22: Reply 1997 and Never-ending Learning with Julayne Lee

[Spoiler Alert] Marisa Llamas (@llamedycentral on Instagram) makes a guest co-host appearance to answer some flashcard questions based on Reply 1997 (2012, tvN). Grace discusses Reply 1997, and how wrong it is that Netflix and Kocowa remove or replace music cues in certain Korean dramas they distribute. Grace then has a chat with Julyane Lee (@julayneelle on Twitter) who is the author of Not My White Savior. They talk about South Korea's adoption issue, racism from white adoptive parents, Mia Farrow, Soonyi Previn, diversity work, poetry, education, the act of "calling-in," and the importance of freeing Black bodies from injustice. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more. Next week, we discuss Fated to Love You (2014, MBC).

K-Drama School - Ep 21: Hello My Twenties! and Cannabis Kimchi with LJ Kim

[Spoiler Alert] Tobias Hauser (@hahahouser) makes a guest co-host appearance to answer some flashcard questions based on Hello My Twenties! (2016, JTBC). Grace discusses Hello My Twenties! and the representation of believable female protagonists, as well as Minari (2020, Lee Issac Chung) and why Brad Pitt should kiss Youn Yuh-jung’s feet in addition to the polarized reception between Korean audiences and Korean American audiences. Grace reflects on her trip to New York, and the return. She trashes Iris.fm and Riverside.fm, and their terrible customer service. Grace then has a chat with musicology PhD candidate LJ (Il-jung) Kim (@iljung.kim on Instagram) who is at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. They discuss Buddhist chants, sacred rituals, shamanism, stigmatization of addicts and empathy for them, hip hop, Korean hemp, pansori, channeling the bodhisattva, being a contemporary philosopher, and more. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more. Next week, we discuss Reply 1997 (2012, tvN).

K-Drama School - Ep 20: Live and The Artist's Mind with Shinho Lee

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Live (2018, tvN) and Noh Hee-kyung's impressive career and mother-obsession. Grace is still in New York as she reflects on her life as an artist and intellectual living in the United States where both careers are under-appreciated. Grace then has a chat with screenwriter Shinho Lee (@shinholee77 on Instagram) who co-wrote The Chaser (2008, Na Hong-jin) and teaches at NYU Tisch about the Korean television industry, patriarchy in the workplace, overcoming self-doubt and feelings of victimhood to marginalization, and the joy of writing strong female protagonists. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more. Next week, we discuss Hello My Twenties (2016, JTBC).

K-Drama School - Ep 19: Personal Taste and Giving Our Mothers a Childhood with Moni Zhang

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Personal Taste (2010, MBC) and its LGBTQIA+ theme. Grace continues to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month as well as picture-locking her film while in New York. Grace talks about acknowledging the celebration of mothers on Mother's Day but also being mindful and respectful of those who have contentious relationships or no relationship with their parents who might feel uncomfortable with such holidays. Grace then has a chat with comedian Moni Zhang (@moni.zhang.comedy on Instagram) about growing up in Wuhan, China and its famous hot-dry noodles, her latest LSD trip and her big realizations about her womanhood and beauty, self-love, and self-appreciation, Confucian patriarchy and its extreme misogyny, and how she wants to give her mother the childhood she never had. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more. Next week, we discuss Live (2018, tvN).

K-Drama School - Ep 18: All In and the Single Tear Strategy with Walter Hong

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show All In (2003, SBS). Grace celebrates the first week of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. All of May will include interviews from Asian American and/or Asian guests. In her opening monologue, Grace discusses the pachinko business run by Korean gangsters, male-centric narratives, passive female characters, and more. Grace then has a chat with comedian Walter Hong (@yellowsheki on Instagram) about Clubhouse, the Atlanta and Boulder shootings (recording date May 23, 2021), gun control, the importance of vulnerability, capping CEOs' salaries to 40x their lowest paid employee's, Descendants of the Sun, and Song Hye-kyo's masterful and playful side-eye. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more. Next week, we discuss an LGBTQIA+ themed show Personal Taste (2010, MBC).

K-Drama School - Ep 17: Successful Story of a Bright Girl and the Power to Change Your House with Esra Karakaya

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Successful Story of a Bright Girl (2002, SBS). Grace talks about Jang Nara and Jang Hyuk’s careers, their onscreen chemistry, and South Korea’s desperate need to create labor unions for the entertainment sect. Grace then has a chat with Berlin-based journalist and activist Esra Karakaya (@ms_blackrock on Instagram). They talk about Koreans’ obsession with weight loss, the importance of grassroots activism, how to manage anxiety, Esra’s talk show Karakaya Talk, as well as the benefits and beauty of Muslim prayer. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more. Next week, we discuss another old school show called All In (2003, SBS).

K-Drama School - Ep 16: Beautiful Days and Noble Things with Jaren George

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Beautiful Days (2001, SBS). Grace goes into depictions of toxic masculinity, Lee Byung-hun's sex scandals, why leukemia is such a common trope in K-dramas, and another fan letter she received. Grace then has a chat with comedian Jaren George (@jaren.george on Instagram). They talk about IT, Oregon snow, Valentine's Day jokes that get too real, beefing up resumes, game life, Christianity versus magic, and more. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more. Next week, we discuss an old school show called Successful Story of a Bright Girl (2002, SBS).

K-Drama School - Ep 15: Itaewon Class and "Don't Kill My Dad" with Ai Yoshihara

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Itaewon Class. Grace goes into representations of Black-Koreanness and transgender identity on this show, as well as issues of diversity that South Korea has trouble addressing in mainstream television such as that of migrant workers from Southeast Asia. Grace then has a chat with comedian Ai Yoshihara (@aiyoshihara3 on Instagram). They talk about how Grace got stood up by her initial guest, pandemic-anxiety, meditation, love, self-improvement, systems rigged against international students in higher education institutions, money-management, and many more. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more. Next week, we discuss an old school show called Beautiful Days (2001).

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